Printing press



April 20, 1943. c. s. CRAFTS PRINTING PRESS Original Filed June 10, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 II I |||||Il\ 5 3 w 9 e 6 m 1 S 3 2 a e h s 2 8 3 .9 l o s .1 T

April 20, 1943.

. S. CRAF PRINTING PRESS Filed June Patented Apr. 20, 1943 PRINTING PRESS Curtis S. Crafts, Oak Park, 111., assignor to The Goss Printing Press Company, Chicago, 111., a -'corporation of Illinois s a Original lap plicati on June 10,1938 Seri'al No. 2 12,860. Divided and this application March 6, 1941-,Serial No. 382,045

4 claims! (01. ion-415.1)

The present invention relates to printing presses and more particularly to a novel and improved blanket or impression cylinder for rotary printing presses' Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims. j The invention consists in the novel patrtsf'constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying'drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is'aside elevation, with certain parts being shown in section, of a typical embodiment of the present invention; and

' Figure 2 is an end view, partly insection, of the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1.

The present application is a division of my prior application Serial Number 212,860, filed June 10, 1938. L I r 'The present invention has for its object the provision of a novel and improved blanket or impression cylinderfor use in high speedrot'ary printing presses. A further object'is 'the provision ofan improved blanket cylinder in which separate means are provided for securing and tensioning a plurality of sheets'on the surface of thecylinder and these means permit the outer sheet to be released and lifted from the surface of the cylinder without disturbing the other sheet or sheets. A further object of the invention 'is the provision of a] strong'blanket cylinder having extremely narrow slots longitudinally thereof through which the surfacing sheets 'are clamped, thereby providing for the printing of sheets with very narrow margins between adjacent page'impressions. v

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment ofthe present'invention, the blanket cylinder comprises a relatively long and narrow cylinder which is provided on its surface with one or more longitudinally extending slots which open into corresponding cavities formed within the body of the cylinder, these cavities being of consider ably' larger size than the slots, but not sufficiently large as to destroy the rigidity of the cylinder.

Along one side of each slot, and within the periphery of the cylinder, the cylinder is provided with pins which are adapted to pierce and secure theends of two or more sheets of paper or other material used for the'impression surface of the cylinder.- Within the cavity is provided a plu-' rality of reel rods,whic h may belong and of rathersmall -diameter, slotted for most of their length, and adapted to receive the other end of the under sheetheld by the pins, and as this reel'rod is rotatably'mounted the under sheet may be drawn tightly about the surface of the cylinder by turning this rod; Suitable ratchet means are provided for holding the reel'rods in the position to which they are turned, and manual means may be provided for turning them to tighten the under sheets and top as much as is necessary. The clamping'jaw is preferablyangularly movable about 'one' of the reel rods and they inay be coaxially mounted for compactness, although they are separately actuated and the clampingjaw may be released without releasing the under'sheet. Spring means are provided for holding the clamping jaw in or out'of its clamped position.

" The present invention is particularly useful in connection with the printing of stereotype or other relief printing 'plates,'although'in certain of its aspects it is applicable to other forms of rotary" printing presses. When used for printing from stereotype or other relief printing plates, the impression blanket isgenerally used as the under sheet and the overlay or other makeready may be supported onthis sheet, while the outer sheet is generally the packing or impression sheet. Thus, the outer sheet may be replaced in case it becomes soiled or worn, and the makeready may be shifted for register or otherwise varied without disturbing the stretch which has already been'imparted to the blanket during a previous run.

It will be understood that'the foregoing gen-- eral' description, and the following detailed descriptionas well; are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in' detail to the illustrative embodiment of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention is shown as applied to the blanket cylinder of a rotaryrelief printing press which cylinder is four pages in'circumference, and may be several pages in width. The printing cylinder 10 is provided at its ends with shafts H by which it'is rotatably supported and driven in the conventional mann'en- -This' cylinder is provided with narrow slots impression surface on the periphery of the cylinder.

Means are provided for securing a plurality of sheets by one end within the slot, and these sheets may comprise the impression blanket and the outer sheet or draw sheet. As embodied, pins extend inwardly into the slot 20 from side wall 2| in which they are mounted, and these pins are adapted to retain the sheets and 3| the manner shown in Figure 2. V a

Means are provided for securing the other ends of the sheets and for tensioning the sheets and these means are also located within each-cavity 24'. As embodied, there are provided two reel rods 33 and 80 which extend from beyond one end of the cylinder II) to a point slightly beyond the center of the cylinder, and the rods are rotatably supported parallel to the cylinder ax s by means of their reducedends 35 and 36 by 1 which ends it is journalledin corresponding recesses in the cylinder. Reel rods 33 and 80 are slotted throughout a considerable portion of their length, as at 40, and are each adapted to receive one end of the blanket or under sheet 30, these ends being passed through their respective slots '40 after which each reel rod may be turned to wrap the sheet end around it. Rods 33 and 80 are provided at their extremity with'a squared portion 31 to which a wrench may be fitted for easy turning of the rods.

Means are provided for'clamping the other end of the sheet 3|, and these means comprise a jaw member 43 positioned in the slot 20 and having teeth on it adjacent to the side wall' 2!. The jaw member is also provided with apertures 44 to fit over the sharpened ends'of the sheetholding pins 25. J aw member 43 forms the outer extension of a hollow member 46' which is relatively long and substantially encloses and surrounds the reel rod 80, being preferably coaxially mounted therewith, and rotatably supported upon the ends of reel rod 80 just beyond its slotted portion. As jaw 43 is moved towards the surface 2|,'the end of sheet 3| is first punctured by the pins 25, and thereafter the sheet 3| isfurther tensioned and clamped in placeby the pressure exerted by jaw 43 on it.-

Means are provided for securing the'jaw 43 in clamping or open position and for moving the jaw from one position to the other. ;As embodied, the jaw member 43. is formed at one end with an enlarged head 50 which is provided with an aperture 5| into which an operating bar may be inserted to rotate'the jaw. Adjacent to the aperture 5| and formed as a part of the head is a boss 52 which cooperates with a long, round" 51 of this spring is adapted to bear against either sideof boss 52 and securely holds the jaw member 43 in eitherof its positions.

Ratchet means are provided for securing the reel rod 33in tensioning position and a ratchet wheel is keyed to the outer end of rod end 36,;

this ratchet cooperating with the double pawls 62 which are pressed against the ratchet teeth by -makeready sheets, if desired, are first clamped against face 2| by jaw 43, thereby impaling the sheets on pins 25. The sheets are then wrapped .around the cylinder and the other end of the blanket 3|] is inserted through the slot 40 in reel rod 33; By'turning the reel rod 33 the blanket is tightened and securedly fastened. Thereafter, suitable make-ready is attached to the blanket, jaw 43 is opened and the free end of sheet 3| is inserted in the jaw to be clamped against face 2| and as jaw 43 is closed the other end of sheet 3| is then inserted in rod and this is turned to.

tighten the outer sheet 3|. In this way the sheets may be independently tightened and the upper sheet 3| may be released'and lifted for changing the make-ready without releasing the clamping jaw 46'. V j g The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanismsshown antidescribed but departures may be made therefrom within the scope oi. the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing'its chief advantages. WhatIclaimis2, i V 1.'A blanket cylinder for printing pressesineluding in combination a rotatable cylinder body having a narrow slot therein opening 'into' an enlarged cavity within the cylinder body, projecting pins for holding a sheet in said. slot, a plurality of rollers within the cavity to which a sheet end may be attached, and a jaw for pressing the sheet over said pins and holding it firmly on said pins, said jaw and one of the rollers being mounted concentrically.

2. A blanket cylinder for printing presses including in combination a rotatable cylinder body having a narrow slot therein opening into an enlarged cavity within the body, apivoted jaw adjacent the slot for holding a sheet end in said slot, and a plurality of rollers within the cavity to which a sheet end may be attached, said jaw being pivotally mounted within the periphery of one of the rollers. r 3

3. A blanket cylinder for printing presses including a cylinder body having a narrow slot therein .opening into an; enlarged cavity within the cylinder bodypa plurality of rollers rotatable in the cavity, a Jaw. pivoted in the cavity, said jaw being substantially mounted concentrically with one of said rollers, and means for individu ally moving the rollers and jaw. I 1

4. A blanket cylinder for printing presses ineluding a cylinder body having a'narrow slot therein opening into an enlarged cavity within the cylinder body, a plurality of rollers rotatable in the cavity, a jaw pivoted in the cavity, said jaw being pivotally mounted within the peripheries of the rollers and the space between the rollers, and means for individually moving the rollers and ovar es-cams.- 

